Various form of systemic treatment are prescribed for animals in diseased or distressed conditions. Such treatments involve the administration of medicaments by intravenous, intramuscular or parenteral infusion or injection, by oral administration or by suppositories. However, for a number of animals the prescribed treatments are not easy to administer, particularly if the animal will not eat, or is required to remain still for long periods of time. In other cases the systemic treatments hitherto proposed have been found to be relatively ineffective, especially in relation to diseases of the legs and feet, and systemic and local vascular disorders, or to have undesirable side effects.